This diary is a lot less shallow than its title, so I beg you to stay with me and you'll get it.
Sarah Palin claims to represent the Hockey Moms, the working class, "Joe" the "Plumber" (actually, Samuel the Contractor) and Joe Six-Packs of America. She preaches to crowds of conservatives about pinching pennies at the grocery store and soaring gas prices. And then, before her next event or interview, she sits down with Angela, the personal hairstylist she takes with her wherever she goes.
Oh, you thought Sarah Palin's touseled, sexy-librarian look was self-styled? No, my friends; at the suggestion of Cindy McCain, Palin visited the Hair Grove in Westlake Village, California, and left with a stylist in tow who, according to the salon's receptionist, is now "booked through November 4." Simple updo's at the salon, which Cindy McCain is a patron of herself, can cost upwards of $100 (and that's just in the salon, not the special on-the-road VIP treatment pricing).
(Hockey Mom 'do care of Angela)
How many average Americans have eye care coverage in their health insurance? Well with her $400 specs, it's doubtful Sarah Palin had to choose from the "covered" case at Pearle Vision. And I doubt you could find her $2,500 Valentino silk shantung jacket from her RNC debut at your local Marshall's.
While some people in what Palin refers to as the "Pro-America" parts of this country struggle to afford a semester at an in-state community or public university, Sarah Palin spent her five-year collegiate career bouncing around between four different universities, from the University of Hawaii at Hilo to Hawaii Pacific University to North Idaho University to the University of Idaho to the Matanuska-Susitna Community College in Alaska.
While many people in the "Pro-American" parts of the country only dream of a Hawaiian excursion, Palin and friend Kim Ketchum weren't satisfied. ""When you're used to having some cooler weather, you get tired of the heat," Ketchum told the LA Times. "We went one semester [at Hawaii Pacific University] before we realized we needed to go someplace else."
Sarah Palin talks about Obama and Biden wanting to "raise" Americans taxes, but it's clear she's only concerned with having to pay more of her own. You would think claiming around $50,000 in tax deductions (for husband Todd's snowmachinin' and fishin' businesses), you'd have enough leftover to pay what little taxes you do owe. In fact, the Palins still owe money on their 2006 and 2007 taxes.
"This is a lady who screams about everyone in federal government taking advantage, and she's taking every advantage she can," said Sheldon Cohen, IRS commissioner in the Johnson administration. "They are milking every possible deduction. They have a right to, if it's legitimate. The question is, is he in the racing business or is it a hobby?"
The Palins owe only 15% of their income in taxes. For other American households reporting the exact same income, the average rate of 28% is nearly double what the Palins pay. I'd be willing to bet that even "Joe" the "Plumber" (Samuel the Contractor) pays a higher tax rate than the Palins... well, he WOULD pay a higher tax rate if he actually paid his taxes; he owes close to $1,200 in back taxes.
Look, I'm not saying that Michelle Obama doesn't get her hair styled daily or doesn't wear couture from time to time. But she's not out there drawing lines in the sand between "Our" America and "Their" America, between pro and anti, patriot and non-patriot. My point, quite simply, is that Sarah Palin is about as far away from Joe Six-Pack as you can get. And any member of the working class who thinks electing McCain and Palin on November 4 will give any of them a hand up is dreaming.